New Artist at Sonoma Coffee Cafe

Adam Heffler / Foobix Design

http://www.redbubble.com/people/foobixdesign/

I have been unwittingly cultivating my style for my entire life, as it is an evolution from the doodling that has kept me enraptured since I was first able to wield the tools of the trade. It wasn’t until after college that I realized the true importance of what I was doing. I began seeing the my art as an urgent demand for further exploration. So I took up the Micron pen, and never looked back. Now here I am, creating very small, complex images that flow through my hand like some sort of otherworldly calligraphy, expressing themselves on the paper as a great totemic story.

The flurry of tiny, interrelated shapes, usually only spanning a few square inches, creates a sense of motion, where the eye freely darts from shape to shape, cluster to cluster, and form to form. Within this process, many people find different things in my art. Sometimes they see things that I see, and sometimes something new – a pleasant surprise! I have come to appreciate the spectrum of interpretation that my art can bring. I have noticed that certain elements persist – birds, prehistoric imagery, and fish – these might be considered to be a thematic backbone, and greatest mystery of my work.

For purchace inquiries, commission requests, and general interrogation, you can contact me at FoobixDesign at Gmail dot com.

Current Exhibitions and Events
June 5-6, 12-13 – Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios

May 1 – June 30 – Solo Show – Sonoma Coffee Cafe – Berkeley, CA

Past Exhibitions – Solo
2009 Arizmendi Bakery – Emeryville, CA
2009 The office of Dr. Richard Marcus – Alameda, CA

Past Exhibitions – Group
2010 Think Green 2 – Expressions Gallery – Berkeley, CA
2010 The Modernists – Expressions Gallery
2010 Past, Present and Future – Expressions Gallery
2009 The Color Show – Slate Art and Design – Oakland, CA
2009 Holidayland – Blankspace – Oakland, CA
2009 Dramatic Characters – Expressions Gallery
2009 Gone Fishin’ – Expressions Gallery
2009 Spring Has Sprung – Expressions Gallery
2009 Suggestion of Sensuality – Expressions Gallery
2008 Off The Mark Studio – Vallejo, CA
2008 Summer Salon: Hot Art – Center For Visual Artists – Greensboro, NC
2008 The Greensboro 200 – Center For Visual Artists
2007 All-Member Juried – Center For Visual Artists

Long time no talk

Hello Berkeley,

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Some of the baristas are doing latte art and etching to make your drinks look nice as you take a sip. We now have paninis, wraps, and fruit & yogurt parfaits made fresh. The great thing is we use many organic ingredients that we purchase from local vendors: organic ham, turkey and chicken from Delmonte Meats; organic produce from Berkeley Bowl; organic Fair Trade coffee, etc. So much has changed here and we will continue to perfect it with the help of customer suggestions and opinions. We appreciate all the suggestions and opinions from everyone because we want to make this a community coffee shop for you! It's great to get to know everyone by name and if we don't know you by name, just introduce yourself. We all try to remember your order so we can make your drink a personalized drink. I'm horrible with blogging and doing social networking, but add us on Facebook (durantscc@gmail.com). I guess I better go back to work... I love my job :)

Windy

Hello Berkeley,

Wow! It's cold outside... Our outdoor seating is useless, so we decided to put some inside the shop. More seating inside = good. It seems like everyone would rather have it inside than outside. So, we did what everyone asked for. The decor looks kind of off, but at this point no one cares. I'm happy to see that people are loving the cafe. Many more changes to come. I'm sure summer will be slow with all the students gone, but when you come back I think there will be a lot of changes returning for the next semester. Anyway, I'm off to serve coffee/espresso.

See you again Berkeley,

Sonoma Coffee Cafe

Long time no post

Hello Berkeley,

It's been awhile since I last posted. This attractive customer asked me why the posting stopped. So, thanks to her I'm back posting on here. If anyone reads this, I'll point out who it is that asked me that question. Anyway, it's been 5 months now and we are open until 11 P.M. It seems that staying open later is going well. Outdoor seating is now available. I'm so glad that we have it because it's been so hot and I'm happy to see people using it. We have couple of new drinks that people are loving. The Snickers and Milky Way latte. Hot, iced, or blended, it's a yummy treat. We have some upcoming drinks that will be released some time soon so keep asking when it's coming and we may bring it out sooner than we planned. Well, I'm out of here. Thanks for reading if there are readers out there. :)

Rain, rain, rain

Hello Berkeley,

Wow, it's been raining pretty good don't you think? Anyway, we're planning to make a few adjustments here at the coffee shop. There is a new store opening up right next to us. They are called Beta Lounge, a new wine, beer, sake, and food place in Berkeley! So the new change will be our hours. We do plan on staying open late! It will not be an immediate change, but look out for it. We will post it in East Bay Express, on our site, and posted on our windows. Please comment on our blog for suggestions if anyone does read this. I hope everyone is having a good day and hope to see you soon.

Just Chatting

Hello Berkeley,

How is everyone? We just wanted to drop in and say hi. I'm not too sure how many people read our blogs, but I just wanted to say hi to new and old readers. It's been a roller coaster ride for us. It's not easy being a business owner trying to compete with the other big coffee shops, but with the support of local neighborhoods and students, it's been getting better. We always wonder how we can reach out to everyone and make improvements. We would like to thank everyone's suggestions and we continue to try and make Sonoma Coffee Cafe a better place. I wish we had a bigger store, but hopefully we can expand as we get more customers in. The spaces next to us is empty and we would love to occupy that space and have longer hours in the future. Everyone that has been posting on Yelp has helped a lot and thank you for the word of mouth. It does help with the community spreading the word. We hope to do more things as the months go by. We are going to do some samples soon so everyone can try the different selections we have to offer. It can be overwhleming when you look at our menu, but we are more than happy yo explain it. I can understand that it's not your normal ordering menu than the rest of the coffee shops. We are offering something different and so far the response has been great. Well, I just wanted to say hi and hope to see you here. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Human Being

Hello Berkeley,

This isn't my usual kind of posting, but I felt I needed to write this. Last night a "homeless" man came into the store and asked to change two dimes and five pennies for a quarter. Now, couple of weeks earlier another "homeless" man came in and wanted two dimes and three pennies for a quarter. I was not falling for it and said no. He then turned away and went across the street to another business. So, last night the gentleman simply asked for the exact change and the last experience I had my initial response was no. I wasn't even thinking and judged him. All he wanted was change to make a phone call. I felt like a jerk. He said to me he can't believe what people were saying to him that day and was having a bad day. I apologized and I told him I hope he has a better day and he left. He came in tonight and I greeted him and asked if his day was better. He was shocked that I remembered him and said, "Today is another day and it's never the same day." He bought a cup of coffee and sat down at our bar stool near our pastries. I decided to talk to him and have a chat. He was telling me how he was having a tough time and trying to get back on his feet. Now, some of you may be thinking he is trying to ask for something or trying to scam. No, he just wanted someone to talk to and needed to take a break. I got to know this gentleman a little bit more and he was an educated man with a lot of life experience. I had to close and he was off to find shelter for the night. I'm guilty of judging someone and I have no right to judge someone or anyone. I'm not saying every "homeless" person is like this person I met, but everyone is a human being. Sure, we walk down the street and get asked for money, but maybe some of them say hi just to be acknowledged and feel human. Maybe this is what Obama means by "change". We need to treat each other like human beings. We need to look at the person next to us and listen, understand, and somehow help each other. I hope that gentleman gets back on his feet. Hey, I hope he has the success story like the guy from Pursuit of Happyness. I would like to believe that is the direction he will take, but either way... he is a human being. 

Good night Berkeley